Governorship candidates seek stoppage of Sanwo-Olu’s swearing-in

The governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, Chief Owolabi Salis, and his counterpart in the Labour Party, Prof. Ifagbemi Awamaridi, on Thursday filed a petition before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ikeja to stop the swearing-in of the governor-elect of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, claiming that he was of ‘unsound mind.’

The petition numbered, EPT/LAG/GOV/2/2019, alleged that Sanwo-Olu had a criminal record in the United States of America and “is of unsound mind” and urged the tribunal to stop him from being sworn-in as governor.

Listed as respondents are the Independent National Electoral Commission, Sanwo-Olu and the governor-elect’s party, the All Progressives Congress.

Others are the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner, the Returning Officer for Lagos State governorship election, the Commissioner of Police and the Nigerian Army.

The candidates sought a restraining order to stop the Chief Judge of the state from swearing-in Sanwo-Olu as the governor of Lagos State pending the determination of the petition at the tribunal.

The petition read in part, “The second respondent (Sanwo-Olu) is a person adjudged to be of unsound mind and who is not capable to be sworn-in as the Governor of Lagos state.

“Sanwo-Olu has records of unsound mind and rehabilitation with the Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos State and by virtue of section 182(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the second respondent is a person not qualified to be sworn-in as a governor.

“Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the present Governor of Lagos State who is the chief security officer of the state attested to the fact in PUNCH newspaper of Monday, October 1, 2018, that Sanwo-Olu is of unsound mind and not fit and proper to govern Lagos State.

“Governor Ambode equally stated that Sanwo-Olu was arrested and detained for several months and was convicted for spending fake dollars at a night club in America.”

Briefing journalists after filing the petition, Salis said, “The reason we are making the request is because of facts known to all Lagosians. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has some mental issues and the constitution described those who cannot occupy the position of the governor as people who are of unsound mind and of course those who have felony convictions in the last 10 years; and it is of public knowledge that Babajide Sanwo-Olu was convicted for spending fake dollars in a nightclub.

“It is not the free will of Lagosians that someone who is of unsound mind or a felon to be fostered on them.”

Reacting, Sanwo-Olu’s spokesperson, Gboyega Akosile, said Sanwo-Olu would not take issues with Salis.

He said, “My principal, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu will not take issues with a character like Owolabi Salis, who obviously is looking for relevance after his woeful performance during the last governorship election.

“Mr Sanwo-Olu is the governor-elect of Lagos State and by the grace of God, he will be sworn in on May 29 as the next governor of the state.”

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